House and Senate Republicans on Tuesday proposed changes to “course-correct” the state shelter system amid public safety concerns and mounting costs, while calling on Gov. Maura Healey to step up the frequency of her communications with legislators.
At a press conference, the GOP lawmakers said their omnibus legislation would respond to the Supreme Judicial Court’s 2017 Lunn decision by allowing state courts and law enforcement to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers in the case of “violent offenders.”
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said the provision is one previously proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker and has “no relationship” to incoming President Donald Trump’s proposed mass deportations.
“This is about the day to day situation that we see in the courts where folks are being released after being charged and, in some cases, convicted of serious crimes. … This is about a selective group of people that pose a threat to public safety,” Tarr said.
Republicans are also proposing a requirement that families seeking to take advantage of the state’s right to shelter law demonstrate lawful presence in Massachusetts for a year before admission to the shelter system, a change that would affect newly-arriving migrant families. Shelter stays would be limited to six months.
Asked what that means for families who would show up at Logan Airport without a place to live, Tarr said they would be “on notice that there is no right to shelter unless you meet the eligibility criteria.” Any assistance rendered to families would be “from the benevolence of the people” of Massachusetts, Tarr said, without a legal mandate to provide aid.
Rep. Paul Frost, an Auburn Republican, said changing the residency requirement would send “a clear message” to charitable groups at the country’s southern border that “Massachusetts is full.” The governor has tried to send similar messages and last week expressed an openness to…